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Chapter 32[]
Dead Man's Hand: Family Values[]
Nha Tranh University
Kowloon
Bucklands Province
Lyran Alliance
26th August, 3058
Henry Ngo made his way through the empty halls of the medical campus, with only the sound of his footsteps on the tiled floor to break the silence.
The entire collage, students and faculty, had been moved to a off-site location usually used by the Coast Guard academy 'for the duration', allowing security to be ramped up to a positively ludicrous degree. Even as Baron of Hue, older brother of the Duchess and her heir apparent, he'd still been strip searched by a squad of Shore Patrol troopers who'd been enjoying the chance to screw with, well, anyone not the Duchess without consequences. He could well imagine the glee on their faces when she gave them official orders to check everyone entering the building, aside from herself, Dr Banzai, his MIIO guards, Star Captain Gabriel Bang-Chu and Scientist Cathy. Nondi Steiner herself could have appeared in full dress uniform and they still would have pointed their guns at her head and demanded she stripped.
Hell, knowing his sister, she'd probably left orders them to refuse the Archon, either of the two Steiner-Davion siblings claiming the title, entry unless they likewise submitted to an inspection.
Henry did his best not to notice the two plain-clothed Special Investigations agents shadowing him. Liz had been worried after his return from Clan Jade Falcon. Perhaps rightfully so, least at first. He had been heavily indoctrinated by their propaganda, and it had taken him a while to see through the lies. Still, it wasn't only the AFFC, now LAAF, who considered his dedication... questionable. If push came to shove, even he'd have to admit that his true loyalty was to the people of the Inner Sphere, not to any one individual or state. Between his time on Blackjack, dealing with the snobbery of his 'betters', and then his years with the Clans, the scales had fallen from his eyes, and he liked to think he saw clearly for the first time.
Just what he was going to do about what he saw, wasn't clear.
"Hn'ry." A voice called out to him from down the corridor, and he couldn't help but laugh at what he saw.
Despite the broken nose, two black eyes, split lip, fractured wrist, dislocated jaw and countless bruises, Nathan Roshak still insisted on holding himself with the same dignity and authority as he always had... or, at least the closest he was capable of, under the circumstances.
"Holy shit! Liz really did a number on you!" Henry stood before his friend and former commanding officer, "Did I ever tell you about how she got expelled from school?"
"Nuh." the former Star Colonel shook his head.
"She launched herself at a boy twice her side and pummeled him into a bloody, sobbing mess, and made him eat grass." Henry chuckled at the memory, "To this day, she's still bard from the planet his family rules."
"S'nds riht." the other man nodded.
"Well, I did warn you she had a temper when you started pursuing her romantically." Henry very carefully placed a hand on his friends shoulder, "But, unlike most older brothers, I always knew I never had to threaten any of her perspectives boyfriends. She's more than capable of doing that herself."
Nathan Roshak could only nod in agreement.
He had known that, should it ever come to light, there would be a price to pay for contacting his former Clan. It had not been easy, and for the longest time, he had felt sure that he had fallen into a carefully laid trap, and that LIC, and that not even Elizabeth would be able to save him, if she so desired. But, soon as he heard of the arrival of a Jade Falcon envoy in-system, he knew that his call had been answered... and that it was only a matter of time before he faced the wrath of a woman he had, he was forced to admit, grown to love, even if he still was not sure exactly what that meant.
For her part, Elizabeth had coolly asked him to follow her into the small gymnasium attached to the house they shared. It was then she proceeded to set about him with her cane. She had displayed an unbridled ferocity that would have put even a Smoke Jaguar to shame. It had taken all of his self control to simply stand there and take the beating and not fight back. Even then he was far from sure that he could have stopped her without killing her, such was the anger she had shown. When her cane snapped, she had set about him with her fists, all the while he did the bare minimum to defend himself.
He had once read that discretion was the better part of valor, and if that was the case, he had certainly shown plenty of valor as he lay on the ground, Elizabeth sat on his chest as she attempted to pummel him into the ground.
Even then, he could tell that she was still holding back. That, had she truly wanted him dead, she would have been more than up to the task. Instead, she had simply stopped, once her rage was spent, and called for a medical team to tend to him while she had gone to shower. They had patched him up enough to get to hospital, where two unformed police officers had asked if he wished to press charges. The thought had amused him, at least a little: despite having near total authority over the system, Elizabeth refused to place herself above the law, and would have allowed herself to be taken off in handcuffs if needed. Had his jaw not been wired shut to allow it to heal, he would have laughed in their faces, but instead he had used a pen and paper to make it clear that he had no intention of pressing any charges, and would not cooperate with any investigations.
He had transgressed, knowingly and willingly breaking the trust Elizabeth had placed in him when she had accepted him as her friend, advisor, and lover. Such an act could not go unpunished, and he had accepted his with as much grace as he was able.
"Is Liz still talking with Banzai and the Falcon scientist?" Henry asked, nodded towards a door further up the corridor, where two uniformed Shore Patrol officers stood guard
"Yh" Nathan Roshak nodded. Even ignoring the fact that Elizabeth still refused to look him in the eye, he had no compression of what was being discussed, and his presence was a distraction at best, so he had left them to it.
"Right, well, wish me luck." Henry readied himself for what was to follow, "It is a far, far better thing I do now..."